340 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



Ireland. It was not an apprehension of a 

 rising, for absolutely no fear of a rising existed, 

 but the anxiety was in reference to outrages 

 on individuals. The Government did not, how- 

 ever, consider that the condition was at present 

 such as to warrant asking Parliament for special 

 powers. If it should find, in the course of the 

 autumn and winter, that it could not rely on 

 the existing law, it would not hesitate to call 

 Parliament together for the purpose of securing 

 such additional powers as would be needed to 

 enable it to fulfill its first duty in the protec- 

 tion of life and property. If the outrages ren- 

 dering such action necessary should have been 

 provoked by harsh proceedings on the part of 

 the landlords, the demand for power of coer- 

 cion would be accompanied with a demand for 

 measures to put the relations of landlord and 

 tenant on a better footing. (See IRELAND.) 



While the estimates for the civil service were 

 under consideration in the House of Commons, 

 August 27th, the appropriations for the Irish 

 constabulary were opposed by the Home Rulers 

 with arguments directed against the constitu- 

 tionality of the force, against its partly military 

 organization, its armament, and the quality of 

 its officers. It was also asserted that the meas- 

 ure would be inefficient as a means for pro- 

 tecting life and property. Mr. Forster agreed 

 with the Irish members in regretting the state 

 of things that required the existence of such a 

 force, but argued that it was absolutely neces- 

 sary in the present condition of Ireland. Mr. 

 Bright referred to the important reforms which 

 had been effected in Ireland during the last 

 half-century, urged the necessity of a complete 

 reorganization of the land system, and invited 

 the Irish members to consider whether they 

 were not pushing a good cause too far, and to 

 rely for the reforms which they desired in 

 cooperation with the Liberal party led by a 

 Liberal Government. Mr. O'Connor Power re- 

 plied that it was impossible for the Irish party 

 to cooperate with any Government which was 

 not prepared to restore the national indepen- 

 dence of Ireland. On the 30th of August Mr. 

 Forster was asked by Mr. Parnell whether, in 

 the event of a coercion act being necessary, he 

 would still bring in a land bill. An announce- 

 ment that he would, Mr. Parnell believed, 

 would produce a strong and beneficial public 

 opinion among the landlords. Mr. Forster re- 

 plied that he was now more hopeful than ever 

 that there would be no need for a coercion 

 bill. With regard to other legislation, he could 

 only repeat that, if landlords should be found 

 to any extent committing injustice, he should 

 inform his colleagues that he could no longer 

 be the instrument of the law to enforce that 

 injustice. A bill for the registration of voters 

 in Ireland, which had been brought in by an 

 Irish member, and was taKen up by the Gov- 

 ernment and passed through the House of Com- 

 mons, was rejected by the House of Lords, 

 August 25th. The Irish members, offended by 

 the rejection, undertook to prevent the passage 



of the Appropriation Bill through the House 

 of Commons unless a clause embodying the es- 

 sential features of the Registration Bill were 

 added to it. Mr. Forster, speaking on this 

 question, said that a perseverance in their 

 course of proceeding by the House of Lords 

 might lead many men to think whether some 

 change in the constitution of that body was uot 

 advisable and indeed necessary. The amend- 

 ments proposed by the Irish members were re- 

 jected, and the Appropriation Bill was finally 

 passed. 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Staf- 

 ford Northcote, made his financial statement 

 to the House of Commons, March llth. The 

 revenues of the previous year had fallen short 

 of the estimates 2,195,000, to which must be 

 added the deficit of 1,161,000, making a total 

 deficit of 3,356,000. The cost of the Zooloo 

 war, 5,138,000, had been largely paid by the 

 Imperial Government, and the question of how 

 repayments should to a certain extent be made 

 by the colonies was under consideration. The 

 expenditure for the new financial year was esti- 

 mated at 81,486,000, and the revenue at 81,- 

 560,000, giving a surplus of 74,000, which 

 would be increased by the operation of the new 

 scale of probate duties. The revenue was finally 

 fixed at 82,260,000, and the expenditure at 

 82,076,000. The financial statement of the In- 

 dian Government, made in February, was unex- 

 pectedly favorable, and appeared to show a sur- 

 plus. Items were afterward discovered which 

 greatly increased the obligations of the Gov- 

 ernment, and showed that it would have to 

 meet a deficiency larger than it would be able 

 to cope with unaided without serious derange- 

 ment to its finances. It was agreed by the 

 British Government that this deficiency should 

 not be imposed on the Indian Treasury alone, 

 but should be met out of imperial funds. Lord 

 Hartington stated in the House of Commons, 

 in July, that the whole amount of the deficiency 

 would be 9,000,000, and that the excess of 

 the charges for the present year over the esti- 

 mates would be 3,500,000, Mr. Gladstone 

 explained a supplementary budget in commit- 

 tee, June 12th, saying that the Government 

 had been led to consider the financial interests 

 of the country, partly on account of circum- 

 stances which it found already in existence, but 

 mainly in connection with other circumstances 

 which had occurred since it came into office. 

 The surplus which had been provided in the 

 original budget had more than disappeared 

 under the 200,000 of supplementary estimates 

 which had become necessary. In addition to this 

 the claim must be considered which might arise 

 in connection with the Indian deficiency, con- 

 cerning which, however, it was impossible at 

 present to make any definite proposal. Among 

 the causes for which the present Government 

 was responsible was a proposed reduction of 

 the wine duties in the new tariff arrangements 

 with France, which would entail a loss of from 

 230,000 to 240,000 in the present and 300,- 



